Summit County ski resorts celebrate first snowfall

<b>Special to the Daily/Jessie Unruh, gobreck.com</b>Northern parts of Summit County, particularly above 11,000 feet, got the better part of the blast Sunday night, with approximately three inches accumulating
on the high peaks overnight. 'Copper Mountain estimated 2-3 inches at the top
of Excelerator after heavy snowfall on Monday morning,' Copper spokeswoman Austyn Williams said. Breck reps estimated 1.5 inches of wet snow fell at Breckenridge Ski Resort, while Keystone Resort got approximately half an inch. The white stuff definitely made appearances up on the Divide as well, as Arapahoe Basin and Loveland each reported snowfall as well.

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Copper Mountain and northern parts of the county, particularly above 11,000 feet, got the better part of the blast, with approximately three inches accumulating on the high peaks overnight.

"Copper Mountain estimated 2-3 inches at the top of upper-mountain chairlift Excelerator after heavy snowfall on Monday morning," Copper spokeswoman Austyn Williams stated. "Low temps help, but every bit of early season snow counts as the resort prepares the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center and gears up for Nov. 2 opening day."

The forecast for this week calls for sunshine and daytime temperatures in the high 50s and low 60s. Summit County could see much of the same for the weekend, Dankers said.

The clear, cold nighttime weather expected through Friday may be prime for snowmaking, but not for the natural stuff, he said.

A ridge remains stationed over the western half of the United States, blocking, for now, any storms that might move in from the Pacific, while the air in Canada hasn't cooled down enough yet to send down the typical winter cold fronts down to Colorado.

"That ridge is still in place," Dankers said "It's keeping any storms out and forcing them up into British Columbia. It's keeping warm air and dry air in place over western Colorado."